Water polo team anxious after extended break

By Jeff Dusing
Daily Forty-Niner

The 49er water polo team will face UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine University this weekend in its first action since Sept. 17.

The team has been practicing for the  last three weeks while Head Coach Rick Azevedo was in Sydney for the Olympics.

"When you have such a long break, you kind of forget that feeling of a game situation until that first whistle goes off again," said senior goalie Rob Smith.

The 49ers will play No.10 ranked UC Santa Barbara at noon Saturday, followed by a game Sunday against No.8 ranked Pepperdine at 1 p.m.

Both games will be played at Campus Pool.

"I think we are playing well and we have beaten the teams we have to beat," said Azevedo who returned to practice Monday. "We're in a good spot right now."

Team captain Chris Segesman said Sunday's game is very important, as CSULB has yet to face Pepperdine this year.

"Pepperdine is one of the teams that is making a push to make it to the NCAA tournament," Azevedo said.

The team is also in the Mount Pacific League and competing against The Beach to make it to the tournament, Azevedo added.

"I think its going to be a mental game," Smith said of Sunday's match.

In its first game of the weekend, The Beach will play UC Santa Barbara, a team it beat Sept. 16.

"Santa Barbara is a good tune up for us," Segesman said. "They always show up ready to play."